Mystery Stole 3 report

I wish I knew why I decided to participate in this adventure.



See those lifelines? Those markers? Do you know how long it has taken me to get this far?

I am having a good time.

Alternative Art Fair

The Detroit Urban Craft Fair is coming this August 4th. Check it out.

Ann Arbor Art Fairs

The fairs have come and gone. Ann Arbor had its usual schizophrenic weather; tornado warnings, blue skies, torrential rain, high temps, low temps, humidity - the whole shebang. Once the first day passed, the rest of the week was gorgeous.

We didn't go crazy this year, and bought just one piece: a retablas.

Closed



And opened



And a close-up of the Day of the Dead

This 'n' That on the Crafty Front

On the knitting front, I've been working on the Mystery Stole 3. No photos yet; it looks like a dog's lunch. I'm still on chart 1, but I'm not defeated, yet. This is the most complicated lace pattern I've worked on, and it is addictive.

On the sewing front, I was pawing through my very considerable fabric stash and decided that I need to get sewing big time. (If I have to sew all my fabric before I die, I have found the secret to eternal life.) I have a lot of fabric for the office life, so I'm trying to decide what to do with it. The American Sewing Expo in Novi comes up at the end of September, and I want to be able to buy something without the weight of my stash crushing me.

Speaking of crushes, I have a mad love for beads now. They are so shiny and pretty. I'm thinking embroidery and knitting, for now. I have two good bead stores nearby, and they are eye candy pushers.

Back to the sewing room.

Mea Culpa - part 2

Where was I? I remember now.

RACCOON!



Villain or ... ?

What the hell was this about? I thought raccoons were nocturnal. This was the middle of the afternoon. My luck to find one with insomnia.

Now what. Not only was this a library book, but it wasn't even from my local library. Oh, the guilt. So as soon as we got back, I did the only thing to do; I logged on to my library account and renewed it. That gave me 3 more weeks.

But all good things come to an end, and so it was time to face up to the consequences. This was a grave matter, so I felt the the only honorable thing was to present the book, in all it's damaged glory, in person. No stealthy book box drop-off for me.

"I'm turning in this book. It's damaged. A raccoon bit it."

"A raccoon? (pause) We'll let you know what the fine is."

A few days later, I got an email with the fine -- roughly the cost of the book, plus a small fine -- and this: "Hope the raccoon enjoyed it! Since you are paying for the book, you may have it."

I was flabbergasted. Now I'm mortified. So of course I reply "Yes, please."



So, here is POK in its new home, wounded, but still standing.

Now, I don't advocate the use of raccoons to procure a copy of POK, and was hesitant to post this tale, but I've been assured by my family that no one reads this thing, so there it is.

Mea Culpa - part 1

This is an awkward post to write; it involves an object of obsession for some, and a nocturnal beast with insomnia.

Several weeks ago, I was able to get a copy of The Principles of Knitting - a book of mythic reputation - through our inter-library loan system. I had to wait quite a while for the book to become available, so it arrived just before we left for vacation. We were going camping, and I thought "I am going to be knitting. This is a golden opportunity to bond with POK."

So we packed our car (up to, and including, the roof rack) and headed north to the wilds of The Pinery in Canada (So called because it is in an oak savanna) and made ourselves at home.



The weather was great. I'd sit outside with my red crate of knitting stuff, working away, while Hubbo frolicked and gamboled with his bike. Life was good.

One afternoon, we returned after shopping for our daily viands. I sensed an ominous presence slipping away in the brush. I approached the red crate.




With trepidation, I looked down.



What were those marks?



RACCOON! (to be continued)